Imam Mahdi, the Universal Leader
Imam Mahdi, the Universal Leader
One often hears, Muslims complain that they suffer from a leadership crisis, that they have no leaders, in the true sense of the term, to guide them. There is, undeniably, a serious leadership crisis among the Muslims. In one hand, since September 11, 2009, Muslims all over the world have felt under siege. The United States and most of the European countries lumped all Muslims together after Twin-Tower incident. Not just in the West but also in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine and some of the Middle Eastern countries in particular. The governments in the Muslim minority countries demanded that Muslims must condemn the terrorist actions of other Muslims. This meant whole Muslim community is associated with terrorists. Most disgraceful matter is that the non-Muslim did not know about Islam and who Muslims are. Therefore, world-wide most of the non-Muslims believe exactly what the media and governments tell them about Islam.
On the other hand, it is very unfortunate that the Muslims all over the world are made up of individuals with many different viewpoints. There is a Muslim Ummah (community), but its views are incredibly varied and therefore it does not have a single, united leadership. Throughout history, pious Muslim leaders have led great civilizations and made great contributions to humanity. During the period known as the Islamic Renaissance, dated from the 8th century to the 15th, the positive effects of the Muslims were immense. But now there are no such charismatic Muslim leaders in the Muslim world with a strong following, not even at the regional level. Instead, the leaders they have are all dependent on the patronage of some of the materialistic as well as nationalistic political parties or the other, and lack grassroots links and an independent voice of their own.
Moreover, the corruption is eating away at the unity of the Muslim Ummah, and in addition to this we have within Islam, groups forming their own fraternity. These groups are deviating from the original enlightenment of Islam, thus causing an increase of conflict within the hearts of the Ummah. There is such a large amount of people of differing views claiming the cloak of leadership, that it has caused the validity of this position to be saturated with doubt in the Muslim people’s minds. Thus the Muslims are not inclined towards accepting anyone at face value – they need to know the person inside out, his spiritual and religious leaning and his capacity in dealing with the huge anti-Islam operation instigated by the enemies of Islam. As these enemies of Islam are the ones who monopolize the entire media market, anti-Islamic propaganda material is being splashed throughout the world.
To lead the Muslims out of this situation of internal dispute and partitions, to extract the Ummah from the mire of conflict caused by the anti-Islamic groups, to improve upon the standard of the Muslim nation, to establish unity of faith and to enact the merger of an all powerful Islamic force which will wipe out all existing evil from the surface of the earth and the core of humanity, a leader possessing extraordinary spiritual powers, free from any geographical and biographical attachments (thus giving rise of acceptance from the entire Ummah), is needed.
All these relevant qualifications will be fulfilled satisfactorily for restoring the order of the humanity and the person to take on this demanding role will be Imam Al-Mahdi. He is a promised universal leader, will descend from the family of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), thus eradicating any relation to a geographical origin. He will abolishing any favouritism or rejection, due to familial origin, from the Ummah. He will be conferred with global leadership and honour by the Almighty God. As Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas\’ood said that Rasulullah (peace be upon him ) said, “This world will not come to an end until one person from my progeny does not rule over the Arabs, and his name will be the same as my name” (Tirmidhi). In an another hadith which Hazrat Ali (may God be pleased with him) narrated that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said, “Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet God will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initally was filled with oppression” (Abu Dawood).
The remaining part of the this paper will focus on two important aspects. Firstly, a logical discussion for better understanding on al Mahdi- who is one of God’s signs and he will appear as a global transformational leader whose truth soon be made evident to the whole mankind by Almighty God. Secondly, to explore the role of media in educating the public on al-Mahdi-an universal promised leader of the Ummah who will bring much awaited peace and happiness for the mankind in the entire globe. Beginning with an analysis on al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) as a transformational leader, the traits he will inherit as an universal leader has been discussed . The paper then identifies media’s role for educating the public on the appearance of al- Mahdi who will established the Caliphate based on the Prophetic Method after centuries of despotic rule and preventing negative image on Islam and Muslims.
2. Leadership in Islam
Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to this world during a period of ignorance. He came as a messenger of Almighty God, who equipped him with the Holy Quran, through the channel of divine revelation, as a means of shining the light of Islam through the darkness of ignorance, and enabling people to discover the true reason for life itself. The Prophetic Method is universal in its mission and strength and it is God’s guidance for the creatures. Therefore, last Prophet (pbuh)’s actions and sayings are still and will be emulated as benchmarks of both spiritual and temporal leadership.
Muslims refer to believers collectively as al-Ummah, the Community. Both the sense and reality of community are strengthened by the Five Pillars of Islam, which are integral to religious practice and underscore the primary spiritual values of charity, unity and justice. These actions also underscore the belief that all creatures are created equal and that humanity must therefore strive for balance and harmony (Qur\’an 11: 86; 49: 7–8). Based on the example of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), spirituality is an integral component of leadership in Islam (Amini, 1996). By obeying God and following the Method of His Prophet, the whole humanity will succeed triumphantly.
In Islam the role, and attendant responsibility of leadership is not to be chased after as an ambition; rather, leadership is a God gifted matter. A spiritually guided leader engages in what Kanungo & Mendonca (1994) call “socialized power” and is enjoined not to seek “personalized power”, where “socialized power is the use of power for the service of others” (Kanungo & Mendonca, 1994, p. 181). In the Qur\’anic teaching monotheism was organically linked to the idea of justice (‘adl). Here, justice (\’adl) in Islam is perceived as the primary link between the community and the leader. According to the scholar Sachedina (2009), Islamic teachings differentiated themselves from other monotheists teachings. Sachedina (2009) further argues that the concept is so closely embedded in Islam that the Qur\’an (107:2–8) states: “…in the absence of seeking the general welfare of men, worship of God— even of one God— is not only meaningless but sheer hypocrisy.”
At heart, Islam desires to reintegrate each and every human being as part of the natural order. While Islamic civilization has come to life in long drawn out battles against colonialism and imperialism that has unleashed a humanistic spirit. The future vision of the Ummah must be drawn from Al-Quran, tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the cultural resources from Islamic history. Using these resources there is need to engage with other civilizations through dialogue. The need of the hour is to increase the manifestation in behaviour of the qualities of justice (‘adl) and mercy within the different communities of the world. In the 7th century, Imam \’Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God pleased be with him) best summarized the power and the importance of the role model of leaders when he said: “With respect to their morals, people resemble their rulers more than they resemble their fathers” (Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 17, p. 129). The importance of the leadership role model in Islam is therefore critical to the welfare of both the individual and the community.
However, MuslimUmmah does not have a charismatic leader. No person has yet professed his suitability as a leader of Islam, to the Muslims. As each candidate when scrutinized thoroughly yields abnormalities in nature, rendering him incompatible for this post. In addition to this, the breakdown of unity and the division among Muslims has contrived to make them acceptable leaders from among their own groups only. Thus a leader is not chosen due to his moral and religious character, but rather his genealogical background and geographical origin and which sect he adheres to, are all factors taking precedence over his religious attributes, when appointing a leader. This divided Ummah is not prepared to accept anyone who is outside of their particular sect, as a leading authority.
Due to injustice and violence situation prevailing within the whole world, Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of an Universal leader known as al-Mahdi. The entire landscape of the Muslim world and the rest of the world will dramatically change as a result of his appearance. God Almighty will send al- Mahdi to the humanity to put its affairs in order after they have been corrupted and injustice and misery have become widespread. This Imam will eventually come as a token of God’s compassion for His slaves to give them the opportunity to repent, so that the corrupt may be distinguished from the good and those who strive from those who hang back. It is part of the Divine Wisdom which will complete the history of humanity.
A true Islamic leader brings out to the world the glad tidings: “And We Have indeed honoured the Children of Adam” (Al-Quran 17:70). A true Islamic leader will adhere to the duties of human dignity in its generalities and particularities. The first of those duties, and the most sacred that honours the human being, is God’s exclusive worship. In the court of Ruston, the leader of the Persians in the first era, of the Muslims engaged in Jihad and Da’wah (Islamic preaching) said: “God has sent us to bring forth whomever He will from the worship of human divinities to the worship of God, from the hardship of this world to its welfare and from the tyranny of religious to the justice of Islam.”
This statement was uttered by a soldier from the army of a nascent and potent force. The world will only hear this statement from Muslims if they become strong by God’s help, by their unity and by the establishment of an exemplary brotherly community and inspires people with its purity, justice, prosperity and utmost care for the human dignity. Furthermore with the appearance of al-Mahdi who will be a promised universal leader, whole world will see this statement as an exemplary, attractive, inviting, liberating and manifest in an entity that is united, so that the Islamic ummah will become one as God commanded. Adhering this message, Imam al-Mahdi will inform to every human being of his and her rights. Indeed, it is a statement that is stimulated by faith , not a dictate that is imposed by the strong on the weak.
According to the modern definitions of transformational leadership and its characteristics, Imam al-Mahdi will possess all the characteristics of a transformational leader. The detailed of transformational leadership based on modern literature is discussed in the following section.
3. Transformational Leadership
In the literature on leadership, there are two types of leadership qualities are discussed: (i) transformational leadership; and (ii) transactional leadership. The recent theoretical interest in transformational leadership and charisma intensified with Burns’s (1978) distinction between transactional and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership is characterized by an exchange that aids individual interests. The emphasis is on motivation followers with an example. In contrast, transforming leadership shapes alters and elevates the followers’ motives and values (Burns, 1978). It unites diverse people in pursuit of higher goals, the realisation of which is tested by the achievement of significant change that represents the pooled interests of the leader and followers. Another difference between the two is that transactional leadership involves motivating followers to make small changes whereas transformational leadership motivates followers to make large changes. There is a significant amount of evidence that transformational leadership is more effective than transactional leadership in achieving higher goal of a state such as bringing justice, equality, peace and welfare (Abdallah and Al-Homoud, 2001).
Bass (1988, 1990); Avolio and Bass (1988) develop the concept of transformational leadership to include charisma, inspiration, individualised consideration and intellectual stimulation. Greenleaf (1998) emphasizes the importance of vision in transformational leadership. Quinn(1996) argue that charisma is characteristic of mobiliser of the community whereas a transformational leader is a reformer and lead the society for all round development of a state. Cooper(1997), Kriger and Seng, (2005) developed the theory transformational and charismatic leadership. Further Kriger and Seng (2005) discussed this theory in respect of several historical examples, most importantly their interpretation of the respective roles of the ancient Jewish prophets and priests. Armstrong (1997) and Ascough & Cotton(2005) also discussed the Biblical examples of prophets in their seminal works.
The bottom line is that a transformational leader is an individual capable of motivating and inspiring followers by appealing to higher goals and the common good rather than individual needs and self-interest.
4. Transformational Leader- al-Mahdi
Present era is the era of the “knowledge power”. A transformational leader should have highest knowledge on all most modern aspects of the world and field which we call “knowledge power.” Before going to discuss about the traits of al-Mahdi’s transformational leadership, we need to understand about “knowledge power” and what are the current challenges before a global transformational leader related to “knowledge power”.
We see, there are three aspects of modern era which are challenging before a global community. Firstly, we have the capitalist world-system of modernity. Secondly, we have the equally non-convergent random world of post-modernity. It is found to repeat the modernist socio-scientific doctrines in the way of pluralism, rationalism and hegemonic competition with alienation among agencies. Thirdly, we have the intrinsically united world view of globally interaction, integrative and evolutionarily world-system whose principal reality is the substantive meaning of knowledge and power as casually interrelated interactions leading to integration and evolving epistemologically premise on Divine Unity. Nasr (2009) and Choudhury (2004) defined this epistemology of unity is based on Divine knowledge where the sources of power of a spiritual leader prevails within the premise of the Unity of God (Tawhid). Here question may be asked are: What are we? Where are we going? Whence do we come?
On the lands of the Jahiliah (ignorance) people, numerous skyscrapers have been erected. The atomic sciences are a horrible force, electronics and computer science are a baffling vortex and the breakthroughs in medicine and genetic engineering portend a frightful horizon. Then who will let the human beings concentrate on themselves and remember their Lord and their meeting with Him? Who will spare a human being a moment to switch of the earthly screen and lock the comparative window so that he can go out into the open space of God’s custom, viewing the future with confidence and learning from history?
Kernel of history is God’s sending of the Prophets (blessing and peace be upon them) for guidance of creatures. There was previous history in which God sent Noah, Abrahim, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. There will be a future history in which we will be like cattle, if we are not imbued with the core of the Message, which made that fellow who went out from the Mosque and declared with forceful eloquence in the courts of Rustam: “God has sent us to bring out whoever He will from the worship of human divinities to the worship of God, from the hardship of this world to its welfare and from the injustice of the religions to the justice of Islam. He has sent us to His creatures in order to invite them to Him”
In order to carry the above message to the human beings, a transformational leader in Islam should be equipped with the teachings from al- Quran, life of the Prophets and Imams without any deviation in effectiveness in his transformational leadership (Afsaruddin, 2002). There are many transformational Islamic leaders we find in the history. Some of these leaders were charismatic. Across the ages, many people – both believers and non-believers – accepted them as their role models, examples, and metaphors.
History stands testimony to the fact that the last century and the beginning of the 21st century have been an era of wars, unrest and wrath, with bloodshed, conflicts between nations and the terror of terrorism-that has doddered each heart living in apprehension in this dangerous and critical situation .The lure and pursuit of material pleasures has set the human race on the path of reckless exploitation. In order to prevent the human race from the scourge of war, untold misery destruction, devastation, and frustration, the Islamic political scientists feel that the power based on only materialistic knowledge will never be able to address these problem by any modern leader. There is need a holistic approach to peace- immediate requirement to overcome situation.
It is high time, the entire humanity to have a global leader, who will be more than just accomplished as an administrator and head of the state. The only teaching, which enjoys these features and potentiality, is Mahdism. The “Doctrine” of Mahdism is based on the reliable sources of Islamic theology and religious teachings. Moreover, “Mahdism” is the sole teaching, which includes all the features of a global transformational leader (Amini, 1996). The following traits of al-Mahdi are adored him as a transformational global leader of the whole world.
4.1 Al-Mahdi- A Universal Leader
A leader gains the love and trust of his people and is followed by them in proportion to his competence in solving their problems, whether personal or public, related to individual, private life, or to social, economic, political affairs touching the community as a whole. Evidences of contemporary leadership of the different countries say that , in order to solve the problems; we find that, in one way a leader may resort upon his subjects to force and terror, or apply sanctions or punishments like exile, imprisonment or depriving the guilty of the rights of citizenship, or torture people, or spy into their affairs. However, none of these ways can bring desired outcome in the long term; rather, they will bring about a vicious circle, in which a leader may struggle to solve the problems by such means, the more he entangles himself in them.
According to Islamic theological sources, however, al-Mahdi (upon him be peace), will solve all problems so skilfully (Sachedina,1980) and easily that no one will disagree with the issue of his decisions. Although he have to face to the human beings by nature and habit quarrelsome, ignorant, wild and rebellious. However, al-Mahdi will bring happy and peaceful life in the society based on good morals and universal values such as love, mutual respect, compassion, and altruism which are based on the example of God’s Messenger Muhammad (upon him be peace and blessings).
Al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) is believed to be a global leader who will not only rule over the Muslim world, but also the whole world. Al-Mahdi is said to lead a global Islamic revolution that will establish a new Islamic global order throughout the entire earth. As Veliankode (1999) said that “The Mahdi will establish right and justice in the world and eliminate evil and corruption. He will fight against the enemies of the Muslims who would be victorious”(p. 277). Al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) will have all the qualities a leader is supposed to have. He will be a leader not only in one aspect of life but he will led his community to success in every field according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace and blessings).
Following traits of al-Mahadi will reveal that he will appear as a global transformational leader of the Ummah to bring much awaited peace and happiness for the mankind in the entire globe. He will appear as an exemplary commander, statesman, religious leader, spiritual guide, etc. According to the Islamic theological sources, al-Madhi will posses the following qualities:
• Al-Mahdi will be realistic leader; his messages and demands will inconsonance with Islamic way of life. He will consider the conditions surrounding him and his community as they actually are. He will be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of contemporary period.
• He will be such type of universal leader that he will posses of the knowledge both of al-Quran and the contemporary modern worldly knowledge and convinced of the truth of the message he will convey to people. He will not falter in his convictions and be resolute in conveying the message of Islam with full vigour and example.
• Al-Mahdi will be a leader of courageous in nature. Even if people left alone to himself, he will find in himself as much courage as to resist all the difficulties he might encounter.
• Al-Mahdi will have a strong will-power and resolve and never he will fall into hopelessness.
• He will be aware of his responsibility and nothing should be able to prevent him from fulfilling it. Especially the charms of the world and attractions of life will not be able to intervene between him and his responsibility.
• As an universal leader he will be far-sighted and determined his goal well. He will get the mental capacity from God, to discern the developments he may encounter in the future.
• Al-Mahdi will have a strong character and be equipped with praiseworthy virtues. He will be determined in carrying out his decisions but capable of flexibility; he will know when to be unyielding and implacable; when to be relenting and compassionate.
• As an universal promised leader of the Ummah, he will not cherish worldly ambitions and abuse his authority. He will live like one who is the poorest of his community and never discriminate among his subjects. He will love all of them, prefer them over himself and be able to make himself loved by them sincerely based on the ethics of Islam and be able to secure their loyalty and devotion.
Considered from the viewpoint of all these and many other qualities al-Mahdi possesses as an universal and will also be seen to be the greatest leader. To follow the leadership al-Mahdi will not be a choice but will be only one; and not a way, but the only one.
4.2 Imam Mahdi-Caliph of Islam
Recent unrest in the Arab world exposes the discontent among the people that has been building for decades. It indicates that the historic seat of Arab culture and power has been upended and there is also a call for the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate in order to restore unity and leadership to Islam worldwide. It is important to understand that when Muslims call for the restoration of the Caliphate, it is ultimately al-Mahdi. Because there is no any other leader which is capable to bring the unit of the Islamic Ummah. Imam al-Mahdi is the awaited final Caliph of Islam. As such, Muslims everywhere will be obligated to follow him.
Al-Sadr and Mutahhari stated in their prologue that “He (Imam Mahdi) will reappear on the appointed day, and then he will fight against the forces of evil, lead a world revolution and set up a new world order based on justice, righteousness and virtue…ultimately the righteous will take the world administration in his hand and Islam will be victorious over all the religions” (p. 4). In support of this argument, followings are the two Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ( peace and blessings be upon him ) in which one stated, “If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Vice-regent (Caliph) of Allah, the Mahdi” (Ibn Maja, Kitab al-Fitan No. 4084). Another Hadith stated that “He will pave the way for and establish the government of the community of Muhammad… Every believer will be obligated to support him. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36). Al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) will receive a pledge of allegiance as a caliph for Muslims. He will lead Muslims in many battles. He will also invade all the places between East and West. His reign will be a caliphate according to traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
4.3 Prophet Isa Will Follow Al-Mahdi’s Leadership
Hazrat Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) is a Prophet and in spite of his prophet-hood, he will follow the leadership of al-Mahdi. While al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) has been clearly described as being, “the Vicegerent (Caliph) of God” (Ibn Maja, Kitab al-Fitan #4084, p. 231). Whereas Prophet Isa is described as being one who will “espouse the cause of the Mahdi” and “follow him” ( Said I Nursi, 2001, p. 60). The partnership between Imam al-Mahdi and Hazrat Isa is one of the leader and his follower and indeed based on the spirit of Islamic brotherhood.
In a Hadith, last Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “a section of my people will not cease fighting for the truth and will prevail until the Day of resurrection. He said: Jesus son of Mary would then descend and their (Muslims’) commander (al-Mahdi) would invite him to come and lead them in prayer, but he would say: No, some amongst you are commanders over some” (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0293). In support of this Hadith, prominent researcher Veliankode (1999, p. 351) stated that Prophet Isa ibn Maryam will descend to meet the army of al-Mahdi who will be preparing for a battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and based on the relevant Hadith, Islamic scholars seem to be in universal agreement that Imam al- Mahdi will ask Prophet Isa to lead the prayers. But Prophet Isa will then refuse this request and will defer instead to al-Mahdi to lead the prayer. He will pray behind al-Mahdi which shows signify Prophet Isa’s profound respect to al- Mahdi ( al-Sadar and Muthhari). Indeed Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) will accept al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) as an universal leader of the era.
4.4 Al-Mahdi will Conquer Jerusalem
History bear witnesses that one of the main reasons behind current unrest situation in the world in general and within the Middle East in particular is the occupation of Palestine land and creation of Jews state of ‘Israel’ by ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people. Islamic tradition pictures al-Mahdi will lead the army of Muslim warriors carrying black flags. He re-conquer Jerusalem and this city will become the location of al- Mahdi’s rule over the Earth.
There is a very famous Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that is often quoted throughout the Muslim world that speaks of al- Mahdi’s military campaign against Israel. According to the Trimidhi Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Armies carrying black flags will come from Khurasan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags” (Trimidhi Hadith as quoted by Abdullah (2004, p. 54). The name Baitul Maqdas is referring to the Dome of the Mosque upon the Rock and is located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
4.5 Al- Mahdi’s Treaty With Romans
According to various Islamic theological sources, al-Mahdi is said to be one who will initiate Islam’s fourth and final treaty between the “Romans” and the Muslims. Al-Mahdi will make this treaty for a period of seven years! In a Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hazrat Aaron (the brother of Moses) and will be upheld for seven years. The people asked, “O Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who will be the Imam (leader) of the people at that time?” The Prophet said: “He will be from my progeny and will be exactly forty years of age. His face will shine like a star” (Tabarani, as related by Hadrat Abu Umamah, as quoted by Zubair Ali,2004, p. 43).It appears that the period of this seven year peace agreement will likewise be the period of the Mahdi’s reign.
In view of the above evidences, Imam Al-Mahdi will emerge as a global leader. The recovery of the past in the context of future-oriented progress of Islam —the virtuous spiral will become the final scenario. Al-Mahdi will address many strategic issues such as war and conflict, exploitation, human rights, peace and progress, environmental protection, poverty, economics, science etc which will come in the way of the global reformation of Islam under his leadership. As a result, in one hand Islam will bring a balance of the planetary ethic of ecology, justice, welfare, equity and global governance-the solution to the global crisis of meaning, sovereignty, and politics. Despite genuine efforts to produce responsible content through several decent and responsible journals and TV channels, the dominant strand in the media seems to be alien to the concerns of Islam and Muslims. Negative images of Islam constructed by particularly western media on the basis of the repeated slogans and images of violence, terrorism, backwardness, and barbarity in the name of Islam. This situation hinders the enhancement of intercultural understanding and harms the objective presentation of Muslim causes and concerns, at a time when a robust Muslim media is most needed to counter the spread of Islamophobia and to correct the negative stereotypes of Muslims. However, this negative impact of mass media on Islam and Muslim will be overcome with emergence of al- Mahdi and his dynamic leadership through ‘enjoining good and forbidding evils’.
5. Role of Media in Educating Public on Islam and Imam al-Mahdi
Technology has made the media the most important immediate influence on opinions and understanding in the industrialised world and has significantly heightened media impact in the Muslim countries as well. Media has a powerful capacity to encourage global awareness thereby promoting cross-cultural understanding, tolerance and acceptance of ethnic, cultural, religious and gender differences in communities across the globe. Unfortunately, the media’s potential to be a force for good can easily backfire.
Former American Black Muslim leader Late Al-Haj Malcom X said that “If you are not careful the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing”. Truly the media magnification of extremism is nowhere more challenging than at the intersection of religion and politics. In the Europe and United States, for example, are inundated with television news about Islam, Muslims and Arabs. The coverage “is also dominated by the Afgan, Iraq War; Osama bin Ladan, Abu Musab Al Zarqwari, terrorism and beheadings” (Shehata and Stromback, 2011). In this all-bad news, Islam has become synonymous with jihad and jihad is understood as irrational, unjustified, religiously-based violence usually against non-Muslims. This equation of Islam with extremism has also been fuelled by the false perception, often un-clarified in the media, that traditional form of dress (such as heard cover and veil) for Muslim women is a sign of the oppression of women. Another critical example is the influential idea of the clash of civilizations. No where has the reproduction of the so-called clash been more powerful than in the media markets of in the world.
It is not being suggested at all that the role of the media is not to tell the truth, investigate and present stories that are in the public interest, but in countries where Islamic-belief are largely been destroyed with malice, where Islamic traditions and cultures have been trampled on by those purporting to represent civilisation, does the media not have a role to play in promoting transformation, enabling healing and in particular building a sense of hope in the future?
The governments of the Muslim countries should play vital roles in clearing misconception about Islamic and Muslims and through media. There is need an action plan to educate the public through media that Divine Justice obliges God Almighty to send a man to humanity to put its affairs in order after they have been corrupted and when injustice and misery have become widespread. The Media should also project that the Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of al-Mahdi. The entire landscape of the Muslim world and the rest of the world will dramatically change as a result of his appearance of the Imam. This message will give solace and hope to the Muslim Ummah.
However, the challenge tremains for Islamic world to develop its own media character, one which is Islam-centric, representing the Islamic values. The Muslim countries need that type of media which will tell the truth of Islam and Muslims while refusing to mimic the American-Eurocentric model where bad news is seldom interrogated, where good news is viewed cynically and where transformation/healing are callously ignored. As Pope John Paul II (2010) said, “There cannot be forgotten the great possibilities of mass media in promoting dialogue, becoming vehicles for reciprocal knowledge, of solidarity and of peace. They become a powerful resource for good if used to foster understanding between peoples, a destructive \’weapon\’ if used to foster injustice and conflicts.” As the world grapples with the challenge of developing a peaceful world, the experience of different regions of the world has shown that the media can become instruments for intensifying the sense of otherness, hence, impede the process of integration and cooperation in divided societies.
Muslim countries are changing, governments are beginning to reform and newly empowered consumers are making their presence felt. Let\’s hope the media can, and will, play a proactive role in disseminating the news about promised universal leader al-Mahdi and in shaping the future of Islamic world and emerging. In the attempts of the governments of the Muslim countries to gain the confidence of its citizenry and build a new social order on the basis of Islamic values, the media could become a crucial factor. The outreach capacity of the media is enormous and it can affect respect for and appreciation of Islamic values throughout the world. Through television, media broadcasts, internet and print media, it should be possible to increase understanding on Islam and Muslim between differing communities and set a tone of respect for the Muslim Ummah that will make up the much needed global community.
6. Conclusion
The wakeful and active members of the Islamic uprising generation are reading Al-Quran and studying the Method of their Prophet (peace be upon him). The liberation of the Muslim mind represents for them a priority ahead of all priorities. The liberation of the Muslims’ mind is liberation from the deeply rooted races of the invasion that are heaped on their traditional weakness and embodied in a westernized elite that rules and imposes its will by force. This has made ultimately incapable of fulfilling Muslims’ historical task and is meeting failure in every sphere. Liberation of Muslims’ mind is absolutely essential. It will enable the Muslims to recognise that their backwardness in the sciences, the branches of industry, strength and the necessities of life. This situation arises because it is the result of their negligence of Islam and the abandonment of the Quran, not the opposite.
There is no stability of the Muslim nations without Shura and no unity on the basis of nationalistic democracies that are variance with Islam. This is also at variance with the course of the material civilisation whose peoples are joining together, leaving the Muslims to follow the mirage of the nation state that colonising snake has worn since nineteenth century. Now it is attempting to slough off so that the Muslims may wear it as tattered rags.
The Muslims are closely linked to the world as human beings and as committed missionaries. They are the envoys of mercy, truth and injustice for the world. It is essential for the Muslim mind to be liberated from the illusion inspired in the Westernised materialistic mind. The choice of the free Muslims mind is that they should strive with all their efforts, so that some day in future, Almighty God will bless them with an universal leader who is popularly known al-Mahdi. He will lead the human caravan, while being fully aware of the content of the Message of God and duties toward human beings and all other creatures.
The free Muslim minds look toward God’s future destiny and toward God’s requirement that they do their utmost, using strategy and tactics in the long run. Unity of the Muslims is their horizon. There is no place in the world, today and tomorrow, for flimsy entities, nor any mission for ethic groups confined in small geographic territories. In order to fulfil their mission, the first foremost important of the Muslim Ummah is the world of communications, which may unify humanity on the basis of Islamic way of life and turning it into as a ‘global Islamic village.” It is not enough to use the media simply to spread the message and teaching of Islam. It is also necessary to create an appropriate atmosphere for practical implication of the message into the ‘human culture’ through modern communications with new languages, new techniques and adopting scientific methodologies with the spirit of “enjoying good and forbidding evils” what Al-Quran commands to the Muslims.
In order to make this world full of peace which is an ultimate aim of Islam for mankind, the media should play a leading role in propagating the message of Islam. Furthermore, for benefiting the entire human beings, the message and action of promised universal leader al-Mahdi should reach to them. That is what the whole humanity deserves. The media has also unique and often gruelling responsibility of reporting fair and unbiased news on Islam and Muslim Ummah. This will make the role of the media as informer and educator to the public a crucial one, particularly when they are reporting to a global audience about Islam and Muslims.
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